Concrete-block machine.



Np. 865,717. PATENI'ED SEPT. 10, 1907.

F. 1).. MERCHANT.

CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED MAY4, 1907.

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PATENTED SEPT 10, 1907.

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F. D. MERCHANT. CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 4, 1907.

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PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

P. D. MERCHANT. CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1907.

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' No. 865,717. PATENTBD SEPT. 10, 1907.

F. 1). MERCHANT.

CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY4. 1907.

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No. 865,717. PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907. F. D. MERCHANT. CONCRETE-BLOCK MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 1907- 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

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FRAN K D. MERCHANT, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

CONCRETE-BLOCK MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Iaatented Sept. 10, 1907.

Application filed May 4,1907- Serial No. 371,828.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, FRANK D. hIERCHAN'l, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Concrete-Block Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved machine for use in forming concrete blocks, and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

Particularly, this invention has for its object to provide a machine for use in forming concrete blocks of the general character disclosed and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 841,414, issued to F. D. Merchant of date January 15, 1907, and entitled Concrete block and wall.

The improved machine is illustrated in the accoin pauying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows the int proved machine in front elevation, some parts being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the improved machine, some parts being broken away. .Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken through the machine on the line a a of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3, but illustrating different positions of the parts which constitute the mold. Fig. 5

a view corresponding to Fig. 3, but illustrating different adjustments of the mold. Fig. 6 is a skeleton view of the machine, with some parts sectioned and some parts removed. Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken through the machine approximately on the line 93 x of Fig. 2, some parts being removed. Fig. 8 is a plan view with some parts broken away, showing one end of the machine, and showing in operative position an attachment to the mold box for adapting the same to form corner blocks. Fig. 9 is a vertical section taken on the line 1L9 .r" of Fig. 8; and Fig. 10 is a vertical section taken on the irregular line {B10 a of Fig. 8.

The following is a detail description of a machine which in actual practice has been found highly efficient for the purposes had in view. The fixed frame of the machine is in the form of a casting which is angular in cross section and in plan view is rectangular, being made up of a rear bar portion 1 and parallel side portions 2. This frame is conveniently supported from the floor or from the ground by means of three legs 3, one of which is applied to the central portion of the frames rear bar 1, and the other two of which are applied each to the front end of a side portion 2 of said frame.

A rock shaft 4 is journaled in the front ends of the side portion of the frame and is provided at one end with a lever 5, by means of which it may be rocked, and with a stop arm 6, which, by engagement with the overlying flange of the main frame, limits the downward movement of the said lever, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

Itigidly secured to the rock shaft 4, just inward of the sides of the machine frame, is a pair of parallel arms 7, and a pair of parallel arms 8, which arms 7 and 8 extend at a right angle to each other and are connected each two arms to a common hub. Normally, the arms 7 stand in vertical positions and the arms 8 in horizontal positions. The said arms 8 are provided with longitudinal slots 9 and with depending web-like arm extensions 10, which latter are formed with alined perforations 11.

The mold in which the block is formed is made up of five plates, which may be conveniently designated as the end plates 12, the bottom plate 13, the rear plate 14 and a front plate or detachable follower board 15. The end plates 12, which are vertically disposed, are provided with flanged bases that rest upon horizontal side flanges of the main frame andare rigidly but adjustably secured thereto, as shown, by means of screws 16 passed through slots 17 in the base flanges of said end plate, and screwed into the main frame. The bottom plate 13 closely engages at its ends withthe inner faces of the end plates 12, and it is provided with rest lugs 18 on its bottom that are adapted to rest upon the arms 8 of the rock shaft 4, and to be rigidly but adjustably secured thereto by long bolts or threaded rods 19. These bolts 19 have threaded engagement with seats in the rest lugs 18, and they are passed through the slots 9 and clamped to said arms 8 by nuts 20. The pallet board or detachable front plate 15 is longer than the bottom plate 13 and is adapted to be clamped against the vertical front edges of the end plates 12 by means of the arms 7, when the parts are in their normal positions, indicated in Fig. 3. The rear plate 14 is provided with depending legs 21. A long hinge bolt 22 is passed through perforations in the lower ends of the legs 21 and in one or the other of the perforations 11 of the arm extensions 10, and thus pivotally connects the said rear plate to the horizontal arms 8'40. On the upper portion of the inner surface of the rear plate 1 1 are angular ribs 23 that are adapted to form wire receiving grooves in the block to be formed by the use of the machinev These ribs 23 eX- tend to the upper edge of the said plate 14 and to the ends thereof. Preferably, these ribs 23 are detachably secured to the plate 14 by small machine screws 24.

Normally, or. when the parts of the mold are in position to receive the concrete or block forming material, the rearor back plate 14 is tightly clamped against the rear edge of the bottom plate 13 by a pair of threaded clamping rods 25. The rear ends of these clamping rods 25 are passed through perforations in the intermediate portions of the legs 21. and are provided at the rear thereof with nuts 26, and just in front thereof with nuts 27. The front ends of said rods 25 are passed over the rock shaft f and are bent downward and are provided with laterally projecting ends 25fthat are suitably held in seats formed in the depending flanges of the sides 2 of the main frame. The said seats are so located that when the parts are in their normal positions shown in Fig. 3, the ends 25 of said rods are slightly below a dead center with respect. to the axis of the shaft f and the axes of the perforations in the legs 21, through which said rods are passed. This causes the clamping rods to act as locks to normally hold the rear plate 141 not only clamped but locked against the rear edge of the bottom plate 13. Under this clamping action, the bottom plate 1.3 finds a base of reaction against the upright arms 7. The pallet; board 15 normally rests upon the front edge portion of the bottom plate 13.

When the mold is in the normal or operative position shown in Fig. 3, the block is formed by filling the same with the properly moistened concrete made up of sand, gravel, or broken stone, or portions of each commingled with the proper amount of cement and water, and properly tamping the same and troweling off the upper surface. To remove the block from the mold, the mold, by means of the lever, is turned into the position shown in Fig. 4, under which movement the pallet board 15 is turned into a horizontal position and the block is turned over onto the said pallet board, so that it may be carried away upon the pallet board. Under the movement of the mold from its normal position shown in Fig. 3 into its open position shown in Fig. 4, the so-called clamping rods 25, because their pivoted ends 25 have no movement except a slight pivotal movement, causes the nuts 27 to push against the arms 21 and thereby raise the rear plate 14 away from the adjacent face of the formed block, and thereby carry the ribs 23 out of the grooves which they have formed in the block and high above the block. Also, it will be noted, and it is of course evident, that when the mold is moved from its operative into its open position, the ends of the block are carried forward of and beyond the end plates 12.

In Fig. 4-, the block is indicated by the character z, and the grooves formed by the ribs 23 are indicated by the character 2 In fact, Fig. 4 shows the block turned into the position, with respect to top and bottom, that it will occupy in the wall. As this is a face down machine, the face or outer surface of the block is formed against the bottom plate 13 and, hence, when it is desired to form a block with a rock face, for example, the upper surface of the bottom plate 1.3 must have the irregular surface necessary to produce such rock face. Of course, the kind of face that will be given to the block depends entirely upon the character of the face of the bottom plate 13.

When the formed block has been removed from the mold and a new pallet board placed upon the arms 7, the mold is again put in operative condition simply by moving the same by means of the operating lever 5 back to the position shown in Fig. 3, under which movement the rear or back plate 1.4 is, by the clamping rods 25, automatically locked against; the bottom plate 13, and the pallet board 15 is tightly pressed against the front edges of the end plates 12. It will therefore be seen that the manipulation of one lever controls all of the operative movements of the machine.

lt will be understood that the height of a completed block depends on the distance of the rear plate 1 1 from the pallet board 15, and we will assume that with the machine adjusted as shown in Fig. 3, a block eight inches in height will be formed, and that the perforations 11 in the arm extension 10 are two inches apart. Hence, to form a block of six inches in height, a bottom plate 13 two inches narrower than that used for the eight inch block should be substituted for the one shown in Fig. 3, the hinge rod 22 should be moved into the intermediate. perforations 1.1, and the nuts 26 and 27 should be turned forward on the clamping rods 25 so as to again tightly clamp the said rear plate 14 against the substituted bottom plate. The slots 9 in the arms 8 are for the purpose of permitting the bolts 19 to be applied to bottom plates 13 which have different width, but are provided with centrally located rest lugs 18, {see Fig. 5) which shows the said rear plate moved forward into engagement with. a narrower bottom plate, as just above stated. It will, of course, be understood that the upper ends of the bolts 19 are adapted to be screwed into the rest lugs 18 of any of the several different bottom plates. The thickness or transverse dimension of a formed block will depend on the distance from the upper surface of the bottom plate 13 to the upper edges of the end plates, rear plate and mold board. Hence, a block of any desired thickness may be formed by vertical adjustments of said bottom plate. To hold the said bottom plate in the desired vertical adjustment, spacing blocks 28 are interposed between the arms 8 and rest lugs 18. Any desired number of these spacing blocks 28 of different length or height may be provided so as to give blocks of any number of different thicknesses.

To adapt the machine to form corner blocks, I provide an attachment which is illustrated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 by full lines, and by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Of the parts of this attachment, the numeral 29 indicates a bracket shown as provided with flanged sides and base and vertically extended plate, which latter eonstitutes an upward extension of an end portion of the rear plate 14, and is adapted to be secured to either end of the upper edge flange 14 of said plate 14 byineans of machine screws 30, or other suitable devices. When applied as shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, the smooth inner face of this bracket 29 alines vertically with the inner face of the plate 14, and the outer flange portion thereof projects slightly beyond the end of the said plate 1 1, as shown in Fig. 8. corner blocks is provided With a vertical extension 31 at one end, which rises to the height of the upper edge of the bracket or rear plate extension 29. To form the inner wall of the extension of the corner block, an inner wall extension plate 32 is shown as pivotally attached to the inner side flange of the bracket 29 by means of a clamping bolt 33 extended therethrough and through the two flanges of said bracket and provided at one end with a thumb nut 34, by means of The pallet board 31 used to form which said bolt may be tightly clamped against said plate 32, thereby firmly clamping said plate to the adjacent flange of said bracket. I

To form the outer face of the corner block extension, and in fact, to form the outer face of the entire short end of the block, I provide a detachable wall plate 35 which is of the proper width to fit in between the mold board and the inner face of the bracket 29, as best shown in Fig. 8. The lower end of this detachable plate 35 is slightly reduced in thickness, as best shown in Fig. 9, thereby forming a shoulder 35 which will rest upon the adjacent end of the bottom plate 13. The upper end of this plate 35 terminates on the level of the upper edges of the bracket 29, plate 32 and uppi-r edge of the extension 3] of the pallet board 31. To provide for the application of this detachable end plate 35, the adjacent end plate 12 is moved slightly orrtward and secured, as shown in Fig. 9. When the said end plate 12 is thus secured, it securely holds the detachable end plate 35 in working position against the outward pressure of the block forming material which is packed or tamped within the mold. If the block to be formed is to have a rock face, the inner surface of the detachable plate 35 should have the irregular inner face necessary to produce this imitation of rock face. tenor-ally stated, this detachable plate 35 should have an inner face corresponding in character to that of the upper face of the bottom plate 13, and it should also be of the same width as the exposed face of the said bottom plate, or otherwise stated, should be of a width corresponding to the distance between the pallet board and the rear plate of the mold. Hence, it will be understood that a number of these plates 35 must be provided where blocks of different height and different styles of faces are to be made.

When the corner block has been formed within the mold while adjusted as shown by full lines in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, said block is turned onto the pallet board by a movement of the mold into the same position indicated in Fig. 4, and when this is done, the bracket 29 and plate 32, as well as the rear plate 14-, will be slightly raised, and the said plate 32 may then be moved pivotally upward into a position entirely above the upper surface of the block, so that it will not interfcrc with the removal of the formed block on the pallet board. Fig. 10 by dotted lines shows the plate 32 but slightly moved toward an inoperative position. The detachable end plate 35 under the above noted delivery movement of the mold will be carried entirely outward and forward of the adjacent end plate 12, but will be supported by the pallet board until it is moved laterally away from the formed face of the block. This end block extension may be applied to either end of the mold, and for this purpose the upper flange of the rear plate 14 is provided with threaded perforations 14 near each end that are adapted to receive the threaded ends of the screws 30. This adapts the machine to make corner blocks in rights and lofts.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be evident that the machine while capable of many adjustments adapting it to form blocks of many different dimensions, is, nevertheless, simple and capable of rapid alteration. In forming corner blocks, the groove forming rib 23 at the end of the mold to which the extension device is to be applied, is preferably removed,

as the groove in the block at that place is not required. It will also be understood that when the bracket 29 is moved to the left hand end of the rear plate, the pivot ed plate 32 must be applied to the right hand side of said bracket mstead of to the left hand side as shown in Fig. 8. By placing the bolt 33 at the vertical center of the said plate 32, it is made possible to reverse the said plate 32 edge for edge, so that the said plate requires to be dressed or smoothed only on that surface which, in Fig. 8, is exposed to the inner side of the mold extension.

For the purpose of definition, the arms 7 and 8 are designated as right angle bell cranks, but it will of course be understood that the said arms 7, as well as the said arms 8, might be tied together or connected by parts, such as plates or bars, rigidly secured to or formed integral therewith.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a frame and end plates secured thereto, of a rock shaft supported by said frame, bell cranks carried by said rock shaft, a bottom plate carried by the lower arms of said bell cranks, a pallet board adapted to be clamped against the outer edges of said end plates by the upper arms of said bell cranks, means for automatically locking said rear plate against the rear edge of said bottom plate, when the mold is in position to form a block, and means for automatically moving said rear plate away from the edge of said bottom plate when the mold is turned into a position to deliver the formed block onto said pallet board, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a frame and end plates secured thereto, of a rock shaft supported by said frame, bell cranks carried by said rock shaft, a bottom plate carried by the lower arms of said bell cranks, a rear plate pivotally connected to the lower arms of said bell cranks and provided with groove-forming ribs, a detachable pallet board adapted to be clamped against the front edges of said end plates by the upper arms of said bell cranks,

- means for automatically locking said rear plate against the rear edge of said bottom plate when the mold is in position to form a block, and means for atuomatically moving said end plate away from the rear edge of said bottom plate, when the mold is moved into a position to deliver the formed block onto said pallet board, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a frame and end plates secured thereto, of a rock shaft supported by said frame, bell cranks carried by said rock shaft, a bottom plate carried by the lower arms of said bell cranks, a rear plate pivotally connected to the lower arms of said bell cranks, a detachable pallet board adapted to be clamped against the front etges of said end plates, by the upper arms of said bell cranks, clamping rods connected at their rear ends to said rear plate, and connected at their forward ends to said frame in the vicinity of said rock shaft, and arranged to automatically clamp said rear plate against said bottom plate when the mold is in position to form a block, and to move said rear plate away from said bottom plate when the mold is turned into a position to deliver the formed block onto said pallet board, substantially as described.

-l. The combination with a frame and end plates secured thereto, of a rock shaft supported by said frame, bell cranks carried by said rock shaft, :1 bottom plate carried by the lower arms of said bell cranks, a rear plate pivoted to the lower arms of said bell cranks, a detachable pallet board adapted to be clamped against the front edges of said end plates by the upper arms of said bell cranks, and clamping rods connected at their rear ends to said rear plate, and provided with downwardly curved and laterally bent forward ends pivotally connected to said frame in the vicinity of said rock shaft at points below a dead center with respect to the axis of said rock shaft and their connections to said rear plate, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

The combination with a frame and end plates supported thereby, of a rock shaft supported by said frame,

bell cranks carried by said rock shaft, a bottom plate. nutted bolts detachably seated in said bottom plate and working adjust-ably in slots in the lower arms of said bell cranks, spacing blocks interposed between said bottom plate and the lower arms of said bell cranks, a rear plate pivoted to the lower arms of said bell cranks, a pallet board adapted to he clamped against the front edges of said end plates by the upper arms of said bell cranks, and means for clamping said rear plate against the rear edge of said bottom plate, when the mold is in position to form a block, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a frame and end plates supported thereby, of a rock shaftsupported by said frame, hell cranks carried by said rock shaft, a bottom plate detachably secured to the lower arms of said bell cranks, a rear plate adjustably pivoted to the lower arms of said hell cranks, threaded clamping ribs, the rear ends of which are passed through perforations in the lower portions of said rear plate, and the front ends of which are pivotally connected to said frame at points below a dead center with respect. to the axis of said rock shaft and the passages therefor in said rear plate, when the mold is in positio'n to form a block, nuts on the threaded portions of said clamping bolts'both in front and at the rear of said rear plate, and a detachable pallet board adapted to be clamped against the front edges of said end plates by the upper arms of said bell cranks, substantially as and for the purposes set forth,

7. The combination with a frame and end plates supported thereby, of a rock shaft supported by said frame. bell cranks carried by said rock shaft, :1 bottom plate carried by the lower arms of said bell cranks, a pallet board adapted to be clamped against the front edges of said end plates by the upper arms of said bell cranks, a rear plate pivoted to the lower arms of said bell cranks, and corner block forming extension plates, at least one of which is detachably secured to and carried by said rear plate, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a frame and end plates secured thereto with freedom for lateral adjustments, of a rock shal't supported by said frame, bell cranks carried by said rock shaft, a bottom plate c rried by the lower arms of said bell cranks, a pallet board provided with an upwardly extended end portion and adapted to be clamped against the front edges of said end plates, by the upper arms of said bell cranks, a rear plate pivoted to the lower arms of said bell cranks, a rear plate extension detachably secured to said rear plate, a loose outer end extension plate supported by said bottom plate and bearing against the adjacent end plate, and an inner end extension plate socured in engagement with the extension of said pallet. board andthe detachable extension of said rear plate, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a frame, and end plates secured thereto for lateral adjustments, of a rock shaft supported by said i'rame, bell cranks carried by said rock shaft, a bottom plate carried by the lower arms of said bell cranks, a pallet board provided with an upwardly extended end portion and adapted to be clamped against the front edges of said end plates by the upper arms of said bell cranks, a rear plate pivotally connected to the lower arms of said bell cranks, means for clamping said rear plate against the rear edge of said bottom plate when the mold is in position to form a block, an extension bracket detachably secured to one end of. said rear plate, an inner end extension plate pivoted to said extension bracket and engageable with the end extension of said pallet board, and a loose outer end extension plate fitting between said pallet board and rear plate, and having an end fitting between the adjacent end plate and the adjacent end of said bottom plate, and supported by said bottom plate, substantially as described.

lu testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK l). MERCHANT.

Witnesses Manna llonn, ll. 1). KILGonn. 

